Caring for Your Artificial Turf in the Winter

Artifical Turf, Winter Lawn Care, Denver Landscape Company

December 11, 2015

One of the best things about having artificial turf in a climate like Denver’s is that it requires less maintenance than a natural lawn: no fertilizing, mowing, aerating, or perhaps most importantly in Colorado, watering. However, even though artificial turf is far less maintenance than a traditional lawn, it is not entirely maintenance-free. As the seasons change, different methods of care are required to keep your artificial turf in its best condition. For example, during winter months, you may be tempted to clear snow and ice from your turf just as you would from a sidewalk or driveway but this is not as necessary as you may think! We’ve gathered a list of the top four tips to care for your turf this time of year.

Rake leaves and rinse as you would with regular turf – There are still a surprising number of leaves around even in winter months, and it is important to rake up leaves from your turf as you would any other time of the year. You can safely rid your turf of leaves and debris every couple of weeks using a flexible lawn rake or a broom or brush with stiff bristles. And on warmer days, feel free to rinse down your turf to get rid of dust and dirt just as you would in the summer.

Let snow and ice melt – After a snow storm or an accumulation of ice on your turf, it’s best to let it melt and drain naturally. The backing on your artificial turf is perforated, so it can drain in a similar way to a natural lawn. While snow doesn’t have a big negative impact on your turf, you need to be cautious when the artificial turf fibers freeze – during this time walking on your frozen turf or overzealously trying to remove snow or ice can actually damage the fibers.

Remove snow with the proper tools – If you feel you must remove snow or ice from your turf, know that it matters what tools you use. For a light dusting of snow, you can simply brush or sweep it away. For a few inches or several feet of snow, use a plastic shovel—not metal—to clear the top layers of snow, leaving about an inch at the bottom which you can let melt on its own or sweep away. You can also use salt to melt ice, but try to do this only occasionally as the chemicals can degrade the turf fibers over time.

Keep an eye on sun magnification – We love our 300 days of sunshine here in Colorado and we know that intense sunlight is possible any time of the year in Denver, including throughout the winter. Even the hottest sunlight doesn’t actually affect your turf, but sun magnification caused by window glare can causes problems. Sun magnification is usually caused by energy-efficient windows that are made with low emissivity glass (or low-E glass), which reflect the sun and create a focused, magnifying effect, enough that it can burn or damage artificial turf. If you suspect your turf might be affected, consider installing awnings, shutters, screens, or shades on your windows to cut down on the glare, or plant trees or bushes to protect areas of glare from a neighbor’s windows.

Regular maintenance during the “indoor” months will keep your turf in great condition when spring and summer roll around again! For questions about installing or maintaining artificial turf during any season of the year, talk to your local Denver artificial turf experts at My Landscaper LLC. You can also learn more about winter artificial lawn care here. Call us today at 720-882-5772